1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the telecommunications field and, in particular, to a method and communications system that signals relative offset values to a mobile terminal so that both a network and mobile terminal can match and balance the bit rates of multiple transport channels handling multiple services to the bit rate of a physical channel handling multiplexed services.
2. Description of Related Art
Network operators estimate that in the beginning of the next millennium there will be more than 800 million mobile phone subscribers worldwide. By then, the number of wireless phones may equal or even exceed the number of wired phones.
As the millennium approaches, it is clear that the next significant development in wireless communications involves the standardization of third-generation wireless services. Third-generation wireless services will enable subscribers to, for example, make video calls to friends and colleagues from the mobile terminal, while simultaneously accessing a remote database from that same mobile terminal, or receiving E-mails and phone calls.
One possible platform or standard for third-generation wireless services is known as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA). The WCDMA standard supports both packet-switched and circuit switched communications such as Internet browsing and traditional landline telephone services, respectively. Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (assignee of the present application) is a main supporter of the WCDMA standard which has been submitted to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The ITU is the body that selects the platforms or standards that are to support the third-generation services to be used in what is known as a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS).
Regardless of which standard is selected by the ITU to provide third-generation wireless services, the UMTS will still be able to support many different services, at the same time, for a particular user of a mobile terminal. Each service including, for example, data, E-mail, speech, Internet, intranet, fax, video streaming, or video conferencing may have a different requirement or degree of quality (protection) when compared to the protection required for another service. For instance, the video conferencing service is likely to require a higher degree of quality (e.g., quality of service) or slightly more protection than that of the fax service.
The current WCDMA standard enables multiple services each of which has a different degree of protection to be used at the same time by one mobile terminal. However, none of the current standards provide for an efficient signaling principle that enables both a network and mobile terminal to match and balance the bit rates of multiple transport channels handling multiple services to the bit rate of a physical channel handling multiplexed services.
The present invention is a communications system and method that enables the balancing and rate matching of different types of services used simultaneously by a mobile terminal. More specifically, the communications system includes a network and mobile terminal either of which is capable of matching the bit rates of a plurality of transport channels each handling a service to a bit rate of a physical channel handling multiplexed services using relative offset measures and predefined rules. The network assigns and signals the relative offset measures to the mobile terminal.